


Daring to Fly

by Fishykarp



Series: Sleepless in Spades [2]
Category: Sleepless Domain (Webcomic)
Genre: Implied Character Death, Self-Discovery, the dream
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:33:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26595289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fishykarp/pseuds/Fishykarp
Summary: I dream of sky.I dream of plains.Five young girls, and their final meetings with a woman in white.
Series: Sleepless in Spades [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1934716
Kudos: 8





	1. Freyja

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is meant as a companion to Daring to Fall. You're welcome to read them in any order, though it will be probably more confusing if you do.

I dream of sky.

An endless expanse of blue and white stretching far over the horizon.

I know this place.

It’s good to be back.

It’s everything I remember it being. A cliff edge bordering an infinite sky, clouds drifting through a serene sea of blue.

I feel the wings on my back for what I’m sure is the last time. There’s only one reason I’d be back here.

“It’s good to see you again.”

A voice from behind me that I remember in some dark recess of my mind. Like an old friend I had long forgotten.

“I remember you.” I say. “You gave me my powers.”

“I did.” She replies. “I’m sure you know why I’m here again.”

I laugh, still staring out into the sky. “I wish I had more time. To think I almost said no.”

“You did well, Freyja.” She says. “You deserve to rest.”

“Call me Frey.” I reply. “All my friends do.”

“You won’t remember this.” She warns.

I shrug. “That’s fine. Still, if you change your mind about this, feel free to call me Frey in the next dream.”

“I couldn’t reach you after this even if I wanted to.” The woman admits. “Sorry.”

“Bummer.”

“I’ll leave you to this then.” The woman says. “After all the lives you’ve saved, it’s only fair that you have time to enjoy flying with your friends one last time.”

I blink. “With my friends?”

Something soars past overhead. A golden bird, this time followed by others. A vivid red cardinal, a bold striking eagle, a quick green-and-red hummingbird, and a large grey crow.

“You’re looking well, boss.” Someone says.

I whip my head to my left. That voice – it’s too long since I’ve heard it.

“Brie.” I say. “You’re… you’re here.”

She chuckles. “It’s good to see you too, Frey.”

I try to think of a reply, but before I can Brie takes a running start and leaps off the cliff, transforming into an owl and going to join the others.

I look at the sky. At my friends, dancing through the air. I think back to all those nights standing at the edge, watching, afraid to fall. Even now, my full memory of the dream restored, I don’t remember whether or not I fell when I eventually jumped.

I probably did. It took me more than a week with Demi’s teaching before I actually managed to fly safely.

I was so afraid of that. Taking that first leap, and failing, and falling. It all feels so silly now.

Sure, I might’ve failed. I can name dozens of times that I _did_ fail. There are more instances than I’d like to admit where somebody got hurt because I failed them.

But I tried, and I learned, and I grew. And that’s all I could possibly ask of myself.

Because I know that falling and failing isn’t the end. I have friends to catch me, and I know I can forgive myself for getting some things wrong.

I move closer to the edge, to join my friends in the air.

I hesitate. Like I always did.

Not because of fear, not because of any self-doubt.

The woman in white told me that I deserved to enjoy flying around with my friends.

So does she.

I turn around, looking over to where she stands. She watches my friends, a certain sadness in her poise. I go to her.

“Come fly with us.” I say.

She raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“I mean, you keep talking about us Magical Girls deserving a bit of a break, but I’m sure you do as well.” I say. “Are you busy with anything else tonight?”

“Well I-“ She begins. “No. I’m not.”

“Great!” I say, taking the woman in white’s hand and pulling her to the edge of the cliff.

She looks at me. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

I don’t reply. I simply spread my wings, and fly towards a dream that I hope will never end.


	2. Kai

I dream of plains.

A sprawling savannah on the brink of twilight.

A sense of freedom. Like the feeling I get every time I take off into the night sky on Pumpkin’s back.

It’s home. But not my home.

“This is where we met.” I say. I’m not sure where he is, but I always know when he’s within earshot. It must be a familiar thing. “I remember now.”

For a place I only just remembered, the dry grass illuminated by a setting sun fills me with calm. This is it, I realise. The end.

“We had a good run, little buddy.”

I hear a soft crunching in the grass behind me.

I feel the movement of something big. Something fast.

Something familiar.

I turn around and he’s there. Pumpkin. Standing bold and bright against the evening sky. That same brilliant lion that I met those years ago. Still strong. Still _magnificent_.

“I’m going to miss you.” I say. “I wish this didn’t have to end.”

I try to keep it together. I’ve stood strong against monsters. I can stay strong through this.

“I wish I didn’t have to lose you too. I guess there’s some things we just can’t run from, huh?”

I approach Pumpkin. He looks me in the eye.

“But you deserve to be free. Free to run. Free from the danger of each night.”

I think of reaching out. I stop myself. No sense making this more painful that It needs to be.

“You’re like me.”

Pumpkin moves closer and nuzzles his head against my leg. I feel tears welling up in my eyes.

“You wouldn’t be satisfied fighting the same fight every night forever. Nothing but the same old blocks of our little corner of the city. It’s time for you to go- to go ho-“

The words catch in my throat. I choke up. Before I even know it, I’m on my knees and my arms are wrapped around Pumpkin in a tight embrace.

I don’t want to let go. I can’t let go. I’m still not great at doing anything when I know it’s going to be for the last time.

When I finally let my grip loosen and wipe the tears from my eyes, it’s darker. The sun has set beyond the horizon, and the only light left is Pumpkin’s bright orange glow. The artist in me says there’s a metaphor in that, but my conscious mind is too distracted to piece it together.

Something’s distracting me. Some final part of my memory of this place that’s only now returning to me.

The woman in white.

I look around, turning my gaze to that same tall thin tree. There, once again, she sits. A table and two chairs. Radiating with light. My feelings once again outrace my thoughts.

So, I run.

Dreams can end suddenly, after all. I’m not going to waste any time getting to her.

The woman in white smiles as I draw near. The chair opposite her is invitingly empty, but I remember what happens when I sit. I’m not letting her take me to her weird white void. We’re doing this here. In my domain.

“Kai Lithgow.” She begins. “It’s good to see you agai-“

I throw the table to the side, and look down at her accusingly.

“ _Who the fuck do you think you are?”_

The woman looks genuinely taken aback. No knowing smiles and holier-than-thou frowns. Just, shock.

“You give us these powers. You bring us together. And then you take it all _away_?” My voice is quivering, but I don’t stop. I’ve come too far now. “You throw us into a world of danger and responsibility with a warning we don’t even _remember_. You give us teams, you give us friendships forged in battle, and then you let them _die_.”

A bow materialises in my hand. Bright orange, arrow nocked. I draw the bow with a practiced ease, aimed directly between that stupid prick’s glowing eyes-

Her eyes.

They aren’t normal eyes, that much is clear. Her entire head from the nose up glows, as if made of light.

Still, she _has_ eyes, and as they meet with my own, I see something.

I see me.

The woman in white coughs. She stands up from her seat, disposing of both chairs and the table with a wave of her hand.

“I... understand.” She says. “I don’t blame you for feeling that way. You’re right. All of this is my fault. I’ll let you spend the rest of your dream without me distracting you, then.”

She turns around, and a door of light bursts into existence before her. She’s halfway through when I will myself to speak.

“Wait.”

The woman turns around, a question in her eyes.

“You’re like me.”

Pumpkin, still beside me, growls.

“You’re like us.” I amend. “You’re trapped.”

The woman once again looks surprised. “I- I bear a heavy burden but it is one I choose to-“

“No.” I say. “You’re trapped in your role same as us. Trapped in whatever world that is.”

I gesture towards the glowing door.

“Even the Founder doesn’t get freedom, huh?”

She raises a metaphorical eyebrow. I laugh.

“Well, who else would you be, all mysterious and powerful? Not that I care. I bet I won’t even remember our little chat here today.”

I pat the woman in white on the shoulder.

“You’re doing good. I don’t know how I’d cope sending out all these kids to risk their lives, stuck not being able to do anything else.”

“You turned around pretty quickly on that.”

“Well, Frey says I sometimes jump to conclusions. ‘Your heart runs faster than your brain’, or something.”

I stretch, turning to walk away from the woman in white. “Lots of us think Magical Girls are picked by a legit desire to help others, or something. If that’s true, this is just a bed you’ve dug for yourself.”

I sit myself down on the grass, resting against Pumpkin’s back.

“C’mon!” I wave the woman in white over. “I can’t fix your problem, obviously, but I find watching the sunrise helps me calm down. I bet you don’t get many of those in your little void world.”

“I do not.” The woman confirms. She walks over to me. “Very well. The only other I will visit tonight is your friend, Ms Avian. She has not yet fallen asleep, so I have time to spare.”

I scoff. “Sounds like Frey. She’s probably up doing _schoolwork_ or something.”

No more words are exchanged. The woman in white sits down beside me, and we just watch the stars and clouds go by. I’ve always preferred running as a pastime. That feeling of satisfaction as I finish a race, the ability to focus not on the future but simply one step after the next after the next.

I’ve always liked dreaming. Losing myself in the worlds I create within my mind. A glimpse into things much bigger than my small, boring world.

But sometimes I like to take a step back and appreciate the simpler things. The patterns that the stars make in the sky. The faces of the ones I love. Each plant and bug and rock.

I’m a dreamer. I’m always going to be wishing for more, fighting for more. Still, that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate what I have.

We watch the sun rise over the horizon, welcoming a brand new day.


End file.
